Flooring and ceiling tongs



(No Model.)

S. L. OLEMENTS.

FLOORING AND CEILING TONGS.

No. 484,299. Patented Oct. 11, 1892.

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SAMUEL L. OLEMENTS, OF EAST EAGLE, KENTUCKY.

FLOORING AND CEILING TONGS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 484,299, dated October 11, 1892.

Application filed November 4, 1890. Serial No. 370,360. (No mozlel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL L. (ELEMENTS, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Eagle, in the county of Owen and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flooring and Ceiling Tongs; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawlugs, and to the letters of reference marked :hereon, which form a part of this specifica- This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in floor and ceiling tongs; and it has for its objects, among others, to provide a simple, cheap, and efficient de- .vice of this character which can be easily manipulated, adjustable to accommodate boards with tongues of varying thicknesses, and which may be operated by one hand while the other is left'free to nail the board when it is forced to the desired position.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear, and the novel features thereof will be specifically defined by the appended claim.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating my improvement as in operation. Fig. 2 is a sectional detail showing the clamp and its manner of connection with the levers.

Like letters of reference indicatelike parts in both views.

Referring now to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates one lever and B another, pivotally connected together by a suitable pivot a, passed through the two levers at their point of intersection, each lever being provided with a sharpened jaw A and B, respectively, as seen in Fig. 1, the two jaws being designed to embrace and clamp a floor or ceiling joist C, as shown in Fig. 1. The levers may be of any desired length, and

to one of them, at any suitable distance from the end, is pivoted, as at b, one end of a bifurcated notched segment D, between the parallel portions of which the otherlever works, as shown in Fig. 1. The lever B is provided with a pin 0 to engage the teeth of the segment to hold the upper ends of the levers in their adjusted position.

To the rear faces of the levers A and B are pivotally held the bars E, the free ends of which are sharpened, and these bars are designed to take a hold on the upper face of the joist, as seen in Fig. 1, and to be moved up as it may be desired to take a fresh hold to further force the board up. Pivotally held to the levers at their point of intersection, and preferably by a pivot d passed through the bifurcated end of the arm and through the head of the pivot a, is an arm F, the other end of which carries the block G, which is designed to receive the tongue on the board being operated upon. This block consists of two parts adjustably held together, as seen in Fig. 2, readily to vary the groovef therein to suit the thickness of the tongue of the board. This adjustment consists of the bolt g, which connects the two parts of the block, working in a vertical slot 70 in one part and provided with a nut m.

The manner of use is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1. The board is placed in position upon the joists, and the upper ends of the levers separated, so that thejaws will embrace the joist G. Then the upper ends of the levers are brought toward each other until the device is clamped to the joist, being held in this position by the notched segment engaging the pin 0. The arms E are engaged with the upper face of the joist, as shown, and the arm F and its block arranged horizontally, as shown, the groove ofthe block receiving the tongue of the board. The levers are then forced toward the board, in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1, when the board will be pressed up against the next board, and then it may be nailed by one hand, while the other hand still holds the block against the board. The

arms Eare moved up as greater leverage is re gether to vary the size of a groove in its aotre quired. ing edge to receive the tongue of a board, sub- What I claim'as new isstantially as specified. The combination, with the levers pivoted In testimony whereof I affix mysignature in 5 together at their point of intersection and presence of two Witnesses.

provided with jaws to clamp a joist, of an SAMUEL L. OLEMENTS. arm pivoted to the lovers at their intersec- Witnesses: tion, and a block carried by the said arm and W. D. HARDIN,

consisting of two parts adjustably held to- JOEL S. HEAD. 

